Index device



J. H. RAND INDEX DEVICE April 29, 1930.

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Patented Apr. 29, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES H. BAND, F NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO REMINGTON BAND INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE INDEX DEVICE Application led .Tune 14, 1924. Serial No. 719,982.

This invention relates to indexes of that general type in which a series of cards or similar index elements are arranged on edge in an open receptacle such for example as a tray or drawer and more particularly to indexes of this type which are-adapted tobe used by a perlson positioned at either end of the receptac e.

In the accompanying drawingsr in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing one unit of a drawer cabinet of the doubleended type embodying the present invention, the drawer being shown as partly pFig. 2 is a front elevation of the cabinet as shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, partly broken away and to larger scale, on the line 3-3 of Fig.4 is a vertical section to larger scale on the line 4-4 of Figs. 1 and 3 Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises an open ended casing 1 having a sliding drawer 2. This casing preferably comprises spaced side members 3, 4 and a bottom member 5 (Fig. 4) made of wood or other rigid material. These members are enclosed. in an outer shell 6 made of sheet metal or other suitable material which gives a finished appearance to the cabinet, and if of sheet metal makes the cabinet lire-resistant. The casing 1 is open at its opposite ends and the metal of the shell 6 is turned inwardly at each end to form a bevelled face 7 This inturned bevelled face gives a -shed appearance to the end of the cabinet and has an operative function hereinafter more fully described.

The drawer 2 is preferably formed of sheet metal, comprising the sides 8 and 9 and the bottom 10, and may be made in anydesired manner as for example by a stamping operation. Within this drawer flexible spacers or partitions 11 of the type more fully described 50 1n my Patent 1,362,960, December 21, 1920,

maybe arran ed if desired. The ends of the drawer are a so preferably formed of sheet metal and each comprises the inner member 12 and the outer member 13 spaced to provide the chamber 14. The members 12 and 13 are united at their upper edges at the point 15 to provide a finished edge and are also suitably joined along their side edges.

Within the' chamber 14 at each end of the drawer latch mechanism is provided and as this latch mechanism is duplicated at the opposed ends of the drawer, but one of these mechanisms is described in detail herein. A

'pair of sliding latch members 16, 17 (Figs. 2

and 5) are arranged within the chamber 14 and preferably at the lower part thereof. These latch members are guided in brackets 18, 19 respectively secured to the member 12 and at their inner ends the latches are furnished with outstanding pins or lugs 20, 21, respectively. A spring 22 of hair-pin type engages the pins 20, 21 and tends to move the latch members outwardly in opposite directions, openings being provided in the edges of the end member of the drawer through which the outer ends of the latch members may protrude.

A latch retracting member 23 is also arranged within the chamber 14 and is guided for vertical sliding movement by a bracket 24 secured to the member 12. This retractor is*1 bifurcated at its lower end to provide the spaced legs 25, 26 whose inner surfaces 27, 28 respectively are inclined to form cams which engage the pins 20, 21, respectively. The upper end of the retractor 23 is provided with a forwardly projecting actuator 23a which protrudes through an opening 13n in the front member 13 of the drawer. For holding the retractor in normal uppermost position, a spring 29 of hair-pin type engages a pin 30 projecting from the retractor. Immediately below the actuator member 23 a handle 31 is secured to the front face of the member 13 of the drawer and this handle preferably forms an integral part of a label holder 32 having an opening 33 for the reception of a label. While this arrangement is desirable, it is in no way necessary to the function of the device as herein described, as any form of handle might be substituted for the part 31 herein shown.

The side members 3, 4 of the casing are provided with grooves or channels 34, 35 respectively extending from end to end thereof and in the horizontal plane of the latch members 16, 17. At their ends these channels are wldened in a vertical direction, as indicated at 36, Fig. 3, and such widened portions terminate in abrupt shoulders 37. Vhen the drawer is closed the latches 16, 17 at each end of the drawer protrude into the widened portions of the channels in the sides of the casing and lie directly behind the respective shoulders 37 so that they hold the drawer against outward movement.

When it is desired to open the drawer the operator places his forefinger beneath the handle member 31 and his thumb upon the actuator 23 and by pressing down upon the latter the retractor 23 is moved downwardly and thereby, through the action of its cam elements 27, 28 upon the pins 20, 21, respectively, retracts the latches 16, 17 at that-end of the drawer at which the operator is positioned. The retraction of the latches 16 and 17 from behind the shoulders 37 permits the drawer to be pulled forwardly while the latches at the other end of the drawer merely slide along within the channels 34, 35. If the drawer is pulled outwardly to its full extent the latches in the rear or following end of the drawer finally come into engagement with the shoulders 37 and prevent complete withdrawal of the drawer from the casing. The enlarged portions of the channels now permit the latches at 'the rear end of the drawer to move upward slightly so that the forward end of the drawer is permitted to drop, which may be convenient for a worker seated before the cabinet of which the drawer forms apart.

When the drawer is pushed back into the casing the outstanding latches 16 and 17 at the forward end of the drawer contact with the beveled faces 7 at the end of the Icasing and are thereby retracted so that a merepush upon the end of the drawer suffices to close it. The drawer cannot be pushed through the casing so as to protrude on the other side as the latches on the rear of the drawer engage the shoulders at the further side of the casing, so as to limit movement of the drawer inwardly and away from the operator. An operator stationed at the other side of the cabinet may pull the drawer outwardly in the same manner as above described, so that the contents of the drawer are equally available to a worker at either end of the cabinet.

I claim:

1. As an article ofmanufacture, an index drawer adapted to slide in a casing, a latch member carried by each end of the drawer, spring means normally tending to project the latch member for engagement with an element of the casing, a pin projecting from the latch member, a slidable retractor carried by the drawer having a cam surface engageable with the pin whereby to retract the latch in opposition to its spring, and an actuating element projecting from the retractor through an opening in the front end of the drawer,

said latch member also being adapted to cooperate with a part on the casing to prevent the drawer from being entirely withdrawn from the casing. i

2. As an article of manufacture, an index drawer adapted to slide in a casing, a pair of oppositely extending slidable latches carried by each end member of the drawer, a spring interposed between said latches tending to project them into engagement with fixed elements at opposite sides of the casing, pins project-ing from adjacent ends of the respective latches, a. slidable retractor having inclined cam surfaces engaging the respective pins, a spring normally holding the retractor in inoperative position, and an actuator projecting from the retractor through an opening in the front end of the drawer, said latches also being adapted for cooperation with parts of the casing to prevent the drawer .from being entirely withdrawn from the casmg. A l

3. As an article of manufacture, an index drawer adapted to slide in a casing, a pair of oppositely extending slidable latches carried by each end member of the drawer, a spring interposed between said latches tending to project them into engagement with fixed elements at opposite sides of the casing,- pins projecting from adjacent ends of the respec-` tive latches, a vertically sliding retractor having a bifurcated lower end comprising spaced legs whose opposed inner faces diverge down` wardly and constitute cam elements engageable respectively with said pins for simultaneously retracting the latches, said latches serving the double purpose of latches and stops for cooperation with parts of the casing to prevent the drawer from being entirely withdrawn from the casing.-

4. An index cabinet, comprising a casing formed with a groove in the side wall extending substantially from the front to the rear and having shoulders at the ends thereof, a drawer slidable in the casing, a spring pressed latch housed rigidly at each end of the drawer adapted to engage said shoulders and manually operable means for retracting the latch to permit opening of the drawer, said casing having the ends of the side wall bevelled for automatically retracting 'the latch as the drawer is closed, the inner latch engaging the shoulder at one end of the casing in opening movement of the drawer to prevent its complete withdrawal from the cabinet.

5. An index cabinet comprising an openended casing, a drawer adapted to slide in either direction therein, a manually retractable latch member at each end of the drawer', and said casing having a continuous groove formed in the wall thereof terminating in abruptshoulders at either end of the latter for engagement by the respective latch members normally to hold the drawer in closed position and for engagement respectively by one of said members to limit the opening of said drawer whereby each latch serves the double purpose of a latch to hold the drawer in closed position and a stop to prevent its complete withdrawal from the casing.

6. An index cabinet comprising an openended casing having a groove in the inner surface vertically enlarged at each end to form an abutment shoulder, a drawer slidable in the casing, and means for limiting outward movement of the drawer in either direction comprising a manually retractable normally projecting latch at each end of the drawer, the enlarged portions of the groove permitting the drawer to drop below the plane of the bottom of the casing when the drawer is opened to the limit of its movement in either direction.

7. An index cabinet comprising an openended casing having a groove in the innersurface of its side wall extending substantially from end to end of the casing and terminating in abrupt shoulders, a drawer therein adapted to slide in the casing and having a latch at each end engageable with the respective shoulders whereby normally to prevent outward movement of the drawer from either end, and means for retracting either latch to permit the drawer to be pulled outwardly from that end of the casing at which the latch is retracted, the other along the groove in the movement of the drawer.

8. An index cabinet, comprising a casing open at opposite ends, a drawer slidable in said casing and adapted to be withdrawn from either end, manually retractable normally projected latches on both ends of the drawer, and means at opposite ends of the casing for cooperating with said latches in projected relation to retain the drawer in closed position in the casing, the means at one end of the casing cooperating with the latch at the opposite end of the drawer to normally prevent complete withdrawal of the drawer from the casing when moved to open position.'

9. An index or file, comprising aA casing open at opposite ends, a drawer slidable in said casing and adapted to be withdrawn from either end, manually operable normally proj ected latches mounted on opposite ends of the drawer, shouldered stops at opposite ends of the casing for engaging withy the projected latches to retain the drawer in closed position in the cabinet, the stop at one end of the casing engaging the latch at the opposite end of latch sliding freely casing during such tachment ofthe drawer from the casing, and means on the casing for retracting the latches to permit theclosing of the drawer.

1G. An index or Ele, comprising a casing open at opposite ends, a drawer slidable in said casing and adapted to be withdrawn from either end, manually operable normally projected latches mounted on opposite ends of the drawer, and shouldered stops at opposite ends of the casing for engaging with the projected latches to retain the drawer in closed position in the cabinet, the stop at one end of the casing engaging the latch at the opposite end of the drawer to normally prevent complete detachment of the drawer from the casing, said stops cooperating with the latches in open. position of the drawers to permit relative movement of the drawer toan inclined position with respect to the casing.

1l. An index cabinet comprising a casing, a drawer adapted to slide therein to open and closed positions, a latch mechanism'mounted on each end of the drawer, and a pair of shoulders formed on the casing at opposite ends, one cooperating with one latch to hold the drawer in closed position and also cooperating with the other latch to serve as a stop when the drawer is in an open position to prevent complete withdrawal of the drawer from the casing.

Signed by me at Boston, this 5th day of J une, 1924.

JAMES H. RAND.

Massachusetts,

the drawer to normally prevent complete dey 

